TIMES TWO EQUALS FUN; Historic cars and bikes take to the track.(Automobile racing)(Motorcycle racing)

Byline: JOHN L. STEIN

Grand noises. Great times. And gorgeous classic shapes whirling past in the sun. That's the allure of vintage racing. But lately, on the West Coast, the frenetic buzz of motorcycles has added to the feast at Historic Motor Sports Association races. In the last 21 months, HMSA and vintage motorcycle group Vmoto have co-promoted events at Laguna Seca, Thunderhill, Portland and Reno. A symbiosis calculated to raise interest in both camps, so far it seems to be working.

"The majority of our guys with car collections all have one or more bikes,'' says HMSA president Cris Vandagriff. "They bring a different element to the group, but if you're a gearhead, you're going to like it.''

HMSA has always attracted vintage racers with the premise that exercising and enjoying the cars takes precedence over winning. Vmoto founder Llew Kinst, who is building a Porsche 356 vintage racer himself, formed his organization in the same spirit. "Right now,'' he says, "we're about getting people involved, increasing the grids and building a community of road racers that is as strong ...